Tone is Like Identity

Why do Alexander, Tan, Alexie, and Angelou use different tones in their pieces? Alexander’s tone is bitter, as she describes herself as “fractured” and “a mass of faults”. Tan sounds desperate as she recounts her “terrible disappointment” of a Christmas. Alexie uses humor to talk about his childhood as a “goofy reservation mixed drink”. Angelou is very anticipatory in her illustration of the “near-sacred quiet” during the boxing match. Ultimately, each author’s choice of tone is to support the purpose of the piece. Alexander’s bitterness is used to show the thoughts of a conflicted woman who is having an identity crisis. She expresses all of her harsh self-judgments to show just how troubled and confused she is about herself and her background. Tan’s desperation echoes the anxiety her teenage self must have felt during this specific event. It shows how embarrassed one little girl became solely because she was ashamed of her own culture and just wanted to fit in. Alexie’s humor masks all the pain he felt all the times when his father became obliviously drunk and when he left the family. He is hurt by his father’s actions, but he still wants to accurately portray the sort of meaningful relationship they did have. Angelou’s anticipation exemplifies the raw tension everybody in her piece felt. This event was clearly a significant event to all who were there, as its outcome would determine everybody’s status and fate in the world. All of these pieces have one thing in common: the characters are confused about their identities. However, there are many ways that this message is portrayed through to maintain another underlying purpose. The authors’ tone is just like their identities, all are different but in the end, everyone is trying to say the same thing.